Homo (8) Flashcards
When did the Homo genus begin?
The genus Homo, to which we belong, began to
appear about 2.4 mya.
True or false, some of the Homo species
co-existed with the australopithecines for about
1 million years. These early Homos have been found at many fossil sites in Africa.
True
What created evolutionary pressure on the ape-men (australopithecines) living in the Cradle of Humankind?
It seems a possibility that dramatic climate change between 2 and 3 million years ago created evolutionary pressure on the ape-men (australopithecines) living in the Cradle of Humankind.
_____ occurred and a certain group of the
australopithecines, possibly Australopithecus africanus, may have started resembling the earliest members of our own genus.
Speciation
Where else are some of the Homo fossils found?
Unlike the Australopithecus species, fossils of some of the later Homo species are found in places other than Africa, e.g. China, Java and Europe.
Diagnostic features - Homo genus (7)
- Height 1.3 m - 2 m, posture erect.
- Foramen magnum centrally placed under skull.
- Hands (long thumbs) smaller than its feet.
- Brain large and more complex (700 cc in early homo to 1 350 cc in modern man). This lead to noticeable new behaviours, e.g. sophisticated tool making, more advanced hunting methods, etc.
- Dexterous hands enabled tool-making.
- Skull with:
- less prominent brow ridges flatter face
- no skull ridge (sagittal crest)
- human teeth (small molars and no large canines)
- parabolic palate (dental arch).
- Omnivorous meat is a large part of their diet.
The hominins of the genus Homo include the following species: (5)
- Homo habilis
- Homo ergaster (African Homo erectus)
- Homo heidelbergensis (archaic Homo sapiens)
- Homo neanderthalensis
- Homo sapiens (anatomically modern Homo sapiens
What is Homo Habilis regarded as?
Homo habilis is regarded as the first species of the genus to which we belong.
Why is Homo Habilis referred to as ‘handyman’?
Appearing about 2.4 mya, H. habilis, also known as ‘handyman,’ was a turning point in human evolution because its brain is about 20% larger than its ancestors. This is a huge increase, and because of this H. habilis developed a characteristic that is uniquely human, the making of tools.
Diagnostic features - Homo habilis (6)
- Robust skeleton with relatively long arms and shorter legs.
- Brain capacity is about 700 cc.
- Cranium rounded large brow ridges, no forehead and a slightly projecting face.
- Molars are large and narrow with strong jaws.
- First hominin tool-maker used tools to scavenge kills. Tools possibly necessary for survival as climate change probably reduced the choice of plant foods.
- Lived in East Africa.
What is Homo ergaster?
About 2 mya a new species arose, Homo ergaster. This species is more near-human than man-ape and is now widely accepted to be the direct ancestor of modern humans. They lived in East and Southern Africa.
Diagnostic features - Homo ergaster (6)
- Height about 1.85 m, the same as modern humans.
- Skeleton robust, the earliest hominin to have human-like body proportions, i.e. the legs are longer and arms relatively shorter. This allowed long distances walking and maybe even running.
- Brain capacity is 850 cc, about three quarters the size of the human brain. Sophisticated tool-making and more advanced hunting methods are therefore possible.
- Face more vertical, chinless, brow ridges, smaller teeth.
- Efficient hunter of small mammals.
- First species to use and control fire, about 1.5 mya.
Name an example of Homo ergaster.
Turkana boy’ 90% complete skeleton, the best-preserved early Homo fossil yet found.
It is thought that Homo ergaster was the first to venture out of Africa and go to Asia. What did this give rise to?
Here it possibly gave rise to a very similar hominin known as Homo erectus, found in Java, Indonesia. This species had a larger brain capacity (1 000 cc) than H. ergaster.
What features of Homo erectus show that it had progressed towards Homo sapiens? (5)
- The males were as tall as modern humans, 150 to 180 cm.
- They were both powerful and graceful, and perfectly adapted to bipedal locomotion.
- Their adult brain capacity was about 1000 cc; about three quarters of a modern human’s brain.
- They were tool-makers and tool-users. At H. erectus sites archaeologists found slightly more advanced tools known as Acheulian (1.5 mya to 200 000 years ago). Their complexity showed for the first time in the fossil record a central core of a stone, with bits chipped off. The main tools were hand-axes and cleavers. The hand-axe, a bifacial teardrop-shaped tool, was probably used for a very wide variety of tasks. With their tool kit Homo erectus became an efficient hunter of small mammals, and was able to live on a mixed diet of meat and plants.
- Homo erectus was the first species to use and control fire, about a million and a half years ago. At the Cradle of Humankind, anthropologists found 279 fragments of burnt bones that on analysis showed they had been burnt at high temperatures in the hearth of a campfire, not just in a natural fire. This is so far the oldest evidence in Southern Africa for the controlled use of fire, though in East Africa there is slightly older evidence. Fire was probably initially gathered from fires caused by lightning strikes.
What can the use of fires tell us about the lifestyle of H. erectus? (9)
[The control and use of fire is highly significant as it enables anthropologists to determine a fair amount about the lifestyle of these early hominins •H. erectus / H. ergaster (African H. erectus).]
- led to social behaviour with the warmth and extended ‘daylight’ hours.
- encouraged conversation and teaching offered more permanent (but still temporary) dwelling sites.
- given a measure of protection from predators at night.
- helped in co-operative hunting by herding animals away from fire.
- provided humans with roast meat making it more appetizing. This could have resulted in more protein being eaten, which may have aided brain development.
- a wider choice of food, including smoked and dried fish and meat, and led to the invention of cooking.
- been a sign of intelligence, as keeping a fire going showed forward planning.
- enabled better, stronger tools to be made that would have led to more successful hunting
- been a factor that enabled H. erectus to migrate out of Africa and into colder climates in Europe and Asia
The controlled use of fire marked a crucial change in human behavior as it showed they had the ability to adjust the ____ to suit their needs.
environment to suit their needs.
Homo heidelbergensis shows traits similar to both Homo ____ and modern Homo ____ suggesting that ergaster might have given rise to H. heildelbergensis
ergaster
sapiens
What is Homo heidelbergensis referred to as?
It is often referred to as archaic Homo sapiens, and existed until the appearance of anatomically modern H. sapiens 200 000 ya.
Diagnostic features - Homo heidelbergensis (5)
- Skeleton robust, as tall as or taller than modern humans.
- Brain capacity is about 1200cc.
- Cranium rounded, large brow ridges, flatter face than earlier Homo species.
- First species to hunt in groups, often with wooden spears, and build simple wood and rock dwellings.
- A possible ancestor of modern humans. The human remains, mostly from the Cape coast of South Africa, are thought to be of this species.
Some extinct species of the genus Homo found in Europe probably gave rise to the _____ (Homo neanderthalensis) in ____ and western Asia. They existed during an ice age.
Neanderthals
Europe
What do recent mtDNA studies indicate about H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis?
Recent mtDNA studies indicate H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis were contemporaries for approximately 10 000 years and that there was a little interbreeding between the two species.
Who are our closest extinct relatives?
No traces of Neanderthal genes have been found in indigenous African populations. Neanderthals are not the direct ancestors of modern humans; they were a dead end. However, they are our closest extinct relatives.
Diagnostic features - Homo neanderthalensis (6)
- Height about 1.6 m, heavy skeleton.
- Large brain (1450 cc) but forebrain smaller than modern humans.
- Skull with low cranium, smaller brow ridges, forehead that slopes back, long face.
- Little evidence of technological development as hunting was done with simple tool kits.
- Shares some cultural traits with modern humans, e.g. burial of the dead.
- Disappeared, possibly out-competed by Homo heidelbergensis who had more advanced skills.
About ____ ____ ya a new type of Homo, anatomically equivalent to modern humans, began to emerge in Africa. It is known as modern Homo sapiens - the symbol user’
200 000
About 200 000 ya a new type of Homo, anatomically equivalent to modern humans, began to emerge in Africa. It is known as modern ____ ______ - the symbol user’
Homo sapiens - the symbol user’
There is archaeological evidence of cultural
activities, e.g. art and human burials, from about
100 000 years ago. It is assumed that the increase
in ___ ___ was responsible for those activities.
brain size
Diagnostic features modern Homo sapiens (10)
- Height (1.6 -1.8 m), taller than earlier Homo species.
- Build slender, upright.
- Brain capacity about 1350 cc.
- Foramen magnum placed centrally under skull.
- Skull well-rounded, forehead flat and near vertical, face small and flattened, small or no brow ridges, small jaw with smallest teeth of the Homo species.
- Legs are longer and arms shorter.
- Chin is strong, possibly created a larger space below the tongue for the development of language.
- Feet have parallel toes - big toe enlarged and others are small, heel bone large and longitudinal arch rigid. Arch absorbs shock and gives propulsive spring while walking.
- A skilled hunter, tool-maker and artist.
- Emerged in Africa.
What anatomical features do anatomically modern H. sapiens have that show evolutionary progress? (8)
Anatomical features that show evolutionary progress from archaic Homo sapiens are:
- a more slender build
- a dome-shaped skull with a large sharply rising forehead. The increased frontal lobe area contains amongst other features the centre for speech.
- eyebrow ridges that are very small or more usually absent
- a large brain (1360 cc)
- a small flattened face. Their nose is small implying less dependence on smell.
- smaller teeth in an arched lower jaw
- canine teeth the same height as other teeth
- a prominent chin. It has been suggested that the chin created a larger space below the tongue, allowing the development of language. Not all the features can be seen in the picture below.
Anthropologists consider that the use of more complex tools, language and cooperative complex language behaviour are all _____-______. All these qualities together would have promoted and necessitated the ____ ____ found in anatomically modern Homo sapiens.
mutually-dependent
larger brain
